Functions and Organization

The MVD had a wide array of duties. It was responsible for
uncovering and investigating certain categories of crime,
apprehending criminals, supervising the
internal passport (see Glossary) system,
maintaining public order, combating public
intoxication, supervising parolees, managing prisons and labor
camps, providing fire protection, and controlling traffic. Until
early 1988, the MVD was also in charge of special psychiatric
hospitals, but a law passed in January 1988 transferred all
psychiatric hospitals to the authority of the Ministry of Health.

As a union-republic ministry under the Council of Ministers,
the MVD had its headquarters in Moscow and branches in the republic
and regional government apparatus, as well as in kraia and
cities. Unlike the MVD, the internal affairs apparatus was subject
to dual subordination; local internal affairs offices reported both
to the executive committees of their respective local soviets and
to their superior offices in the MVD hierarchy.

The MVD headquarters in Moscow was divided into several
directorates and offices. The Directorate for
Combating the Embezzlement of Socialist Property and Speculation
was established in the late 1960s to control such white-collar
crime as embezzlement and falsification of economic plan records.
The Criminal Investigation Directorate assisted the Procuracy, and
on occasion the MVD, in the investigation of criminal cases. There
was a separate department for investigating and prosecuting minor
cases, such as traffic violations, and the Maintenance of Public
Order Directorate, which was responsible for ensuring order in
public places and for preventing outbreaks of public unrest.

The members of the militsiia (uniformed police), as part
of the regular police force, were distinguished by their gray
uniforms with red piping. The duties of the militsiia
included patrolling public places to ensure order and arresting
persons who violated the law, including vagrants and drunks.
Resisting arrest or preventing a police officer from executing his
duties was a serious crime in the Soviet Union, punishable by one
to five years' imprisonment. Killing a policeman was punishable by
death.

The Office of Visas and Registration was charged with
registering Soviet citizens and foreigners residing in each
precinct of a city and with issuing internal passports to Soviet
citizens. Soviet citizens wishing to emigrate from the Soviet Union
and foreigners wishing to travel within the Soviet Union had to
obtain visas from this office. The Office of Recruitment and
Training supervised the recruitment of new members of the
militsiia, who were recommended by work collectives and
public organizations. The local party and Komsomol bodies screened
candidates thoroughly to ensure their political reliability.
Individuals serving in the militsiia were exempt from the
regular military draft.